Operations & Training

Watch: Soffit Collapses on Firefighters at Bakersfield, CA, Hotel Fire

Nov. 18, 2024

Bakersfield firefighters were below the large burning soffit when it collapsed as a laundry facility burned at the hotel.

Peter Matthews

One firefighter was injured when part of the roof collapsed down on crews battling a fire in a Bakersfield hotel laundry room Saturday night.

Firefighters were called to the Four Points by Sheraton hotel around 8:30 p.m. and found heavy fire in a facility for laundry, according to KGET.com.

At 15:43 in the video above, a large section of burning soffit collapses down on firefighters who were operating at the fire.

At least one firefighter, who was operating a handline below the soffit, is caught in the collapse and rolls away from the rubble.

“Part of the soffit came down and struck one of the firefighters,” Battalion Chief Mike Lencioni told KGET.com. “He suffered very minor injuries. He’s still operating at the scene, refusing any medical care, but it was still a little bit scary for us.”

Lencioni said the firefighter suffered neck and hand injuries.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the laundry facility, preventing it from spreading to the hotel.

About the Author

Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.